Vermouth Chicken

NOTE: This post was scheduled by Daniel Saraga of Haggis and Herring before he suddenly passed away.  We have decided to ensure his scheduled posts continue.  Daniel's wife Meredith posted her eulogy.  Please read more about our wonderful Daniel.

I guess my friends and I are at that age when our parents are starting to get older and are moving out of houses they've occupied for 30+ years and into smaller places – apartments, condos or otherwise. You can imagine the fun of emptying a lifetime of accumulated stuff from basements. I'm not looking forward to helping out with that task when the time comes.

Our good friend, Dr. Karen, has been on such a mission for the last few weeks. Back in July, she uncovered a case of Vermouth which her father apparently "bought for next to nothing - practically free!" What on Earth was she going to do with it? Why, call up her friends and ask them what they'd do with a bottle, of course!

I immediately said "I'd cook with it," and started to look up what exactly Vermouth was, aside from one of the ingredients in a Martini.

To my surprise, I learned that Vermouth is actually a fortified wine, so it doesn't last long once opened. It really needs to be kept in the fridge once the seal is broken, and tossed after six months.

Now put up your hand if you or your parents have a half-empty bottle of Vermouth sitting in your liquor cabinet that's at least 14 years old. You should throw that out.

I also read that Vermouth can be used as a substitute for red wine in savoury dishes, and quickly found a recipe for Vermouth chicken. Not being satisfied with the original recipe, I rewrote it and adjusted many ingredients, including upping the amount of sauce (both literally and figuratively) and adding olives – you could just smell that it was begging for olives, seriously.

We served the chicken with baked potatoes, however, I think we'll serve it with rice next time.

Dr. Karen made her own, mostly following this recipe,
using less onion, putting the olives on top
afterwards, and serving it on top of spatzele,
a German pasta.

Vermouth Chicken

2 tbsp olive oil
1 kilo chicken legs
1 red onion, sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt (if tomatoes are unsalted)
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1 cup dry Vermouth
1 can diced tomatoes
250g mushrooms
1/4 cup olives, sliced
1 small can (150ml) tomato paste

1. Heat olive oil on medium in a deep pan and brown chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add onions, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and saute for 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the Vermouth and quickly scrape any remains of chicken from the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
5. Add back chicken, reduce to medium, cover and let simmer for 25 minutes, turning chicken after 10 minutes.
6. Stir in tomato paste, add olives and reduce to medium-low. Cover and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Chicken Tikka Pie

A Friday in May ended up being a long day. By the afternoon, I was ready to get the heck out of the office and get moving on dinner. My original plan was to make a chicken dish using some leftover white wine, however, my friend Hungry Jenny changed my mind.

Jenny had published a porky tikka pie for her regular Friday Pie Day feature, and I loved the idea. It's just what we needed for dinner. Of course, I wanted chicken (since it's Friday), and I had a couple of ideas for minor changes to make it my own, but really, it's Jenny all the way.

My mini Corningware set isn't nearly as nice as Jenny's proper ceramic English pie plates, but they still held together, and it tasted great. I'm so glad I tried it out, and I'm sure I'll be making it again (if I'm not trying yet another of her pies.

Chicken Tikka Pie

1/2 kilo chicken, bonless, skinless, cubed
2 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2+2 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes, cubed (around 500g)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced (around 150g)
1 medium onion, diced (around 100g)
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
4 medium potatoes (around 750g), peeled, chopped and boiled
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup milk
(4 small ceramic pie plates)

1. In a large bowl, combine the garam masala, paprika, ginger, garlic and 2 tbsp oil, and whisk together using a form. Add the chicken, mix well and leave for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees
3. In a large pan on medium heat, add the remaining oil. Brown chicken in oil for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms and onion, and stir.
5. Add the ketchup and almonds and let simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Transfer mixture into four individual pie dishes.
6. Add the turmeric and milk to potatoes and mash together. Spoon potato mixture evenly atop each pie dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the potato begins to brown on top.

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Secret Recipe Club: Mushroom Quesadillas

I know I missed October,  but it's Movember, and it's time for Secret Recipe Club, hosted by Tina of Mom's Crazy Cooking.

This month's assignment is A Southern Fairytale, run by Rachel, who, according to her site is a "deep fried southern belle and aspiring domestic darling."

Well, if I was going to be doing something southern, I was happy to try some Tex-Mex. I found a recipe for mushroom quesadillas that looked quite yummy (and tasted great) and went straight to work. Rachel's recipe had you making full-sized quesadillas by using a full tortilla on the top and bottom. I found that very difficult to flip on the grill - I just haven't had enough practice. Next time, I'll only fill half of the tortilla and fold it over. Flipping it will be much easier.

Mushroom Quesadillas

4 tortillas
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded and divided into 2
5 mushrooms, chopped and divided into 2
1/4 red pepper, chopped and divided into 2
1/4 small onion, chopped and divided into 2
salsa or sour cream for serving

1. Preheat grill on medium.
2. Place 2 tortillas on grill and sprinkle with half a portion of cheese each.
3. Sprinkle on a portion of each vegetable and top with the rest of the cheese.
4. Place remaining two tortillas on top and gently press down.
5. Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side and let cool for two minutes before cutting using a pizza cutter.
6. Serve with sour cream or salsa.

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Grilled Ratatouille

Looking at the recipes I've published during the last month or so, I realized that since fixing my barbecue, I've been grilling quite frequently. In a previous life, I barbecued Moroccan sausages 12-months a year. As long as I had a beer in my hand and I was bundled up, I was good. I might restart that tradition.

Ever since I saw the movie Ratatouille, I've wanted to try making my own version of the vegetable stew. I even found a couple of recipes that follow the signature dish from the movie. The presentation is just as beautiful in real life as it was on screen, however, it was a little too much for me. I wanted something more rustic (read: less complicated preparation).

When I saw Alea's grilled ratatouille, I thought I had found what I was looking for as a starting point, but I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. I took Alea's idea of grilling the vegetables before the finer chopping, chose my own vegetables and quantities (similar to hers), and added some tomato sauce as well.

Where things went south for me was in the cleaning department (I like one-pot dishes): I used more bowls than I thought I would for the prep (with all of the vegetables soaking in oil); chopping the vegetables after grilling, but before adding them to the pot with sauce also got messy. Really messy. I'll make sure to take appropriate measures next time and avoid a much bigger cleanup job than I had originally anticipated.

Taste-wise, it was a huge hit. Everyone loved it. I'll definitely be making it again.

A couple days later, for the benefit of the movie-going crowd, I served the leftover ratatouille over linguini (har, har).

Grilled Ratatouille

2 yellow zucchini, sliced into 1cm rounds
2 green zucchini, sliced into 1cm rounds
1 purple eggplant, sliced into 1cm rounds
2 sweet onions, peeled and sliced in half
2 red peppers, seeded and sliced in half
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced in half
8 roma tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 kilo portobella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pint tomato sauce
1/2 cup red basil, chopped
salt

1. Preheat the grill.
2. Brush or toss vegetables with olive oil.
3. Grill the zucchini, eggplant and onions for 10-15 minutes (turning to grill all sides).
4. Grill the peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms for 6-10 minutes (turning to grill all sides).
5. In a dutch oven, heat a small amount of olive oil on medium and add garlic. Stir for 1 minute.
6. Add tomato sauce and simmer on low.
7. Meanwhile, chop grilled vegetables and add them to tomato sauce.

Serve with sliced baguette.

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Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

Guest Chef: Mom

For the last Friday of a vacation week, we were heading to my parents for lunch and relaxing on their patio. A couple days earlier, my mom had called me, very excited about a recipe she saw for a pasta salad in the Toronto Sun. Not wanting to ask why on earth she was reading the Sun, I asked her about the recipe and it sounded great. She prepared it for the Friday lunch.

The salad tasted great. The flavour mostly comes from both roasted and picked vegetables. My mom was especially excited about the recipe because it's very easy to prepare ahead of time. The vegetables can be roasted a day or two in advance and refrigerated, and the rest of the salad comes together quite easily. Mom also switched things up a bit and used roasted garlic (and more garlic than the original recipe stated) and was more liberal with the balsamic vinegar (but she didn't remember how much more liberal).

Although the recipe calls for some parmesean cheese for garnish, I actually think that adding 1/2 cup feta cheese immediately before serving would really do the trick. Not having any feta on hand, we weren't able to try it.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

• 1 red onion, sliced
• 2 zucchini, cut lengthwise into thick strips
• 8 stalks asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1 250g package cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt
• pepper
• 1 package (500g) rotini pasta
• 1 medium jar (340ml) marinated artichokes, drained and roughly chopped
• 3 roasted red peppers, skinned and cut into strips
• 4 cloves roasted garlic, minced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2-3 basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup feta cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Toss onion, zucchini, asparagus and mushrooms in olive oil, salt and pepper and transfer to cookie sheets.
3. Grill the vegetables in the oven for 5 minutes, turn and continue grilling for another 5 minutes until tender and crispy
4. Remove vegetables from oven and let cool. Roughly chop vegetables and transfer to a container if preparing in advance. Cook pasta until al dente following the package directions, rinse and drain.
5. When ready to serve, in a large bowl, toss pasta, grilled vegetables, artichokes, roasted peppers, garlic, tomatoes, olives, oil, vinegar, parsley, basil and feta cheese and serve.

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Mushroom and Onion Pate

With me running around concentrating on food and Meredith with her mind on other things as well, we forgot to invite people to dinner the last Friday in January. Not even Facebook could help us (actually, it could, but the people who most wanted to join us most were either out of province, out of country, or overseas!). That didn't stop me from making dinner, but it certainly did result in lots of leftovers. I had a bunch of new things I wanted to try.

I decided to dig through some of the old school cookbooks and online for a vegetarian chopped liver recipe. The best (and by best, I mean worst), involved canned green beans. The more appetizing used mushrooms. Real chopped liver also uses hard boiled eggs, which I thought would be great for protein, so I decided to throw those in as well.

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Vegetarian Chopped Liver (Mushroom and Onion Pate)

by Daniel Saraga May-18-2011

Mushroom and onion pate is a poor substitute for real liver, but

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 medium onions
• 1/2 kilo fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oil on medium and sauté onions until translucent.2. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until mushrooms are soft (and most of the liquid is gone).3. Transfer mushrooms and onions to a food processor and add walnuts, salt and pepper. Pulse until desired consistency is reached.Serve with matza or dry crackers.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 2 cups

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Secret Recipe Club: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Jarlsberg Cheese and Sauteed Mushrooms

I'd been meaning to blog about grilled cheese for some time, but I'd never got around to it. The grilled cheese is an amazing sandwich, and according to The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches, first appeared in the 1930s - around the same time sliced bread made its debut.

Years earlier, in 1917, Kraft started selling canned cheese to the U.S. Army. They bought out Velveeta in the late 1920s. The individually-wrapped slices didn't appear until the mid-1960s - known as "square cheese," in our home. When Wonder's sliced bread hit the shelves, processed cheese quickly became the original filling for the grilled cheese sandwich.

So the original grilled cheese isn't something fancy - it's Wonderbread and Velveeta. Truth be told, I still think that processed cheese is a perfectly acceptable filling for grilled cheese. Jacob has graduated from plain sliced bread and now prefers his square cheese in between two slices of marble rye. I actually think it's quite good. On special occasions, I one-up it with this:

Jacob's double-decker barbecued-grilled cheese
sandwich with square cheese and marble rye.

I've also been meaning to visit a very special restaurant in Kensington Market for quite some time. The Grilled Cheese is dedicated to making (in what my opinion are) the best grilled cheese sandwiches I've ever tasted. The decor is very rustic, with wooden tables and benches and a wall full of preserved vegetables.

Jacob drinking his water with the wall of preserves
behind him.

I ordered the Blackjack that is served with Jalapeno Havarti, tomatoes, spinach and black olive pesto. The sandwich was served with a slice of pickles and potato chips. The bread was perfect - crunchy on the outside with a buttery flavour.

My Blackjack grilled cheese sandwich.

Secret Recipe Club

For the July edition of Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned Hoosier Homemade. Hoosier's grilled cheese really caught my eye. Sauteed mushrooms on Jarlsberg cheese all in between two slices of garlic-parmigiana French bread. That ain't no Velveeta on Wonderbread!

I definitely wanted to do a variation on it, but at the same time, too much variation is just another sandwich. I was sticking to the Jarlsberg cheese and mushrooms but I wanted to give a salute to Jacob's sandwich as well, so I'm sticking with the marble rye.

The final sandwich turned out great. The thinly-sliced bread turned out crispp on the outside and helped the sandwich heat up quickly. The thinly sliced mushrooms didn't release much water (could be because I used cremini mushrooms). The cheese wrapped around the mushrooms perfectly. I was very happy.

Unfortunately, I had run out of pickles during the weekend and forgot to buy more, so I had to serve the sandwich with a side of carrot sticks instead. It's just not the same :-(

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Jarlsberg Cheese and Sauteed Mushrooms

• 1 + 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 slices marble rye
• 4 slices Jarlsberg cheese

1. Heat one tsp oil on medium-low and saute garlic for one minute. Add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are soft and slightly browned.
2. Assemble the sandwich using bread, cheese, mushroom mixture, cheese and bread. 
3. In a larger pan, heat remaining two teaspoons of olive oil and fry sandwiches for 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly browned. 

Makes two sandwiches.

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Secret Recipe Club: Mushrooms and Potato Stew

No Wednesday post this week because I joined the secret recipe club. The secret recipe club assigns you a member blog and you choose a recipe from that blog to make. You're not obligated to stick to the exact recipe, but instead, you can adapt it to your own taste or style.

I was assigned Cook Book of Trial and Error, by The Cooking Rookie. There were a lot of unfamiliar recipes and methods to choose from. Wanting to play relatively safe the first time through, I chose a potato and mushroom stew. It calls for the stew to be cooked in the oven, in a dutch oven - I've never done that before. My first throught was "I really hope my Jamie Oliver pot comes out in one piece!"

The recipe itself, named Chanterelles and Potato Stew called for chanterelle mushrooms, some chicken stock and a tablespoon of brandy. Since the recipe is from a site that emphasizes trial and error, I'm hoping that I'm forgiven for the liberties I took with it.

First, I couldn't find chanterelles, so I bought some portabella mushroom instead (and a good helping of white mushrooms as well). I also didn't have any brandy, but I did have some wine left from the previous evening and a bit of brown sugar to sweeten it up.

The one mistake I made was the time I chose to start cooking - we ended up eating about an hour later than planned.

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Mushrooms and Potato Stew

by Daniel Saraga June-13-2011

This stew, inspired by the The Cooking Rookie, uses mushrooms and white wine for a tasty vegetarian bowl of comfort.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 300g portabella mushrooms, chopped
• 450g white mushrooms, chopped
• 1.3 kilos potatoes, diced to 1/2 inch
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup white wine (or rice wine for gluten-free)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.2. In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat and saute onions until translucent and they start to brown.3. Add garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes. 4. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.5. Add potatoes, butter, wine, brown sugar, salt and pepper, stir and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.6. Remove from heat, stir, cover and transfer to oven. Bake for 90 minutes.Note: in the event that you don't have an oven-proof pot, The Cooking Rookie recommends reducing the heat to medium-low, covering and stirring every 20-30 minutes. The potatoes with be a little mushed, but it will taste the same.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 2 hour Total time: 2 hour 20 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

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The Hearth and Soul Blog Hop

Baked Pakoras

Welcome to my paroka pity party.

Browsing the food blogs I read one Friday evening I read what I considered a revelation: you don't need to deep-fry pakoras. Kathy Gori says so, and she knows her stuff.

I was so excited to try the recipe the following Sunday. I had mushrooms available and some broccoli that Jacob didn't eat from the week before so I didn't even need to buy anything. Score.

The recipe looks easy, and it's yet another good application for the chickpea flour I have. The final result isn't deep-fried pakoras, but it satisfies your pakoras cravings. Let's be honest: you can't beat deep-frind.

I did have some problems with the recipe: the batter stuck to the pan (but I used a non-stick cookie sheet with cooking spray - I should've used oil and tinfoil). I'll probably make the batter thicker next time (there'll be a next time) and use some other vegetables (probably cauliflower, as Kathy did).

I also burnt them a bit, although I think it has something to do with the temperature in the oven and the thin batter. So they didn't look great either.

But in the end, they tasted okay, and really, it was nothing some chutney didn't fix.

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Baked Parokas

by Daniel Saraga June-3-2011

These parokas are a tasty way to use vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1/2 kilo mushrooms, washed
• 1-2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup chickpea flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 3/4 cup water

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 500-degrees.2. In a large bowl mix together chickpea flour, salt, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala and water. (Note: Kathy says that the batter should be as thick as pancake batter. Add water or flour as necessary.)3. Dip mushrooms into batter, one at a time, and place them onto a greased or non-stick cookie sheet.4. Bake mushrooms for 8-9 minutes, turn, and bake again for another 9-10 minutes.

Details

Prep time: 10 hour Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 8-10 servings

Recipe from Kathy Gori's Colors of Indian Cooking.

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Kasha (Buckwheat) with Mushrooms, Onions and Green Peppers

Buckwheat. No. The small "b" buckwheat.

No, not Eddie Murphy. The grain. a.k.a. Kasha. I imagine that the package for the brand of Kasha I buy hasn't changed in 20 years, minus the new little banner that says "wheat & gluten free."

Kasha is one of those grains that rarely make, just because I keep forgetting that it's there. It's quite good, with a slight nutty flavour.

When My Sweet and Savory posted a Kasha recipe, it gave me a kick to get moving on it myself. It's quite simple to make (following the package directions) and you simply add whatever vegetables and spices you are in the mood for.

I opted to load up on mushrooms and other vegetables that happen to be in the fridge. Meredith and I demolished the entire dish for lunch in a single sitting.

Kasha (Buckwheat) with Mushrooms, Onions and Green Peppers

• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup water
• 1+1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup kasha (buckwheat)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 onion, diced
• 1-2 cups mushrooms (your preference)
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a deep pan, set stock, water and 1 tbsp butter to boil.
2. Mix kasha and egg until kasha is coated.
3. In cast-iron pan, fry kasha on medium-high heat until egg is dry.
4. Add the kasha to the liquid, cover, bring to a boil and then let simmer on medium-low for 10-15 minutes until kasha is fluffy.
5. While the kasha is cooking, fry onion, mushrooms and pepper in the remaining 1 tbsp butter and add salt, pepper and paprika.
6. Combine kasha and vegetables into a single pan before serving.

we stirred the pan after taking this picture

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Vegetable Green Curry

At the time of writing, we're getting close to our big move. With half of the kitchen packed, Meredith on a limited diet, and both of us running around like maniacs, it's been difficult finding time to research and test new ideas or formalize old standards. This week I'm going to cheat, and I'm justifying it because it's with a cuisine that I generally suck at anyway.

When I first started cooking, the bottled or canned sauce was a big friend of mine. I didn't realize how much fun it is creating my own mixtures from scratch. Several years ago, I discovered the Aroy-D brand of Thai curries. They're actually quite good, especially when you need to make something quick.

Also a big bonus for me: it's one of the few ways I can eat Thai without going to a restaurant or asking a friend to make it for me. Dunno why, I'm just not good at Thai. 

Vegetable Green Curry

• 1 can Aroy-D Green Curry
• 1 sweet potato, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1 cup sugar snap peas
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 cup mushrooms, quartered
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (for garnish)

1. In a deep pan, bring the green curry sweet potato and carrots to a boil, cover and reduce to medium. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, add broccoli, cover, and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
3. Reduce to low, add snow peas, red pepper and mushrooms. Let simmer for 2 minutes.
4. If potato and carrot are not soft enough to pierce with a fork, simmer the mixture for an additional 2-4 minutes.

Serve with white rice.




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Guinness Gravy

We had a great St. Paddy's day in March. Dinner consisted of white kidney bean hummus with food colouring (using the red kidney bean hummus recipe), Irish soda bread, lamb sausages, baked beans and mashed potatoes with Guinness gravy.

I thought I was being original attempting to make gravy with beer, but it looks like several people thought of it before I did. I looked at a handful of recipes and took the best bits of each to make a great mixture.

Guinness Gravy

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 can mushrooms, drained
• 1 cup Guinness stout beer
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp rosemary or sage
• 1-1/2 cups beef or chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp flour

1. Melt butter on medium in a saucepan and fry onions until translucent.
2. Add mushrooms and continue to fry for another 30-60 seconds.
3. Whisk in Guinness, mustard, brown sugar and rosemary and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add broth, salt and pepper and bring to a low boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Return to medium-low and sift in flour to thicken gravy.

Notes:

• you can add horseradish mustard for extra zest
• researching this recipe I read that it was recommended to pair the chicken stock with sage (for poultry) and the beef stock with the rosemary (for darker meats)

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Vegetarian Chili

Photo by Keren Kurtz. Keren's variation uses kidney
beans and omitted the zucchini.

I've been meaning to make a chili for a while. Last week, I just decided to change the menu and go.

Meredith and I had eaten so much meat the previous week, that a vegeterian meal was going to be the way to go. Fortunately, I found a great recipe to use as a base, and I substituted from there based on whatever we happened to have in the fridge. Thanks, Emeril :-) I'll post a link to the original more complex and Dan un-friendly recipe (corn? ewwww) on Wednesday as well.

Vegetarian Chili

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 3 onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 package (227g) fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespooon ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 can tomatoes
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 bottle tomato sauce
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 cup basmati rice, cooked according to instructions

1. Heat the oil and fry onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook for 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the chilli poweder, cumin, salt, cayenne and cook for another minute.
4. Add the tomatoes (break apart with a wooden spatula).
5. Add the beans and tomato sauce and bring to a low boil.
6. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Add tomato paste to thicken and simmer on low for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice.

(inspired by Emeril's vegetarian chili)
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